Research methods in economics

Martin Paldam

Chapter 40 in Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Research Methods in the Social Sciences, 2026, pp 286-293 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Economic journals publish 15,000 papers annually. The share of empirics is rising. Journals demand short and clear papers, so they often concentrate on one aspect of the problem, while other papers analyze other aspects. The three main methods are: (i) Theory needs few clear assumptions. As many assumptions are possible, the results vary. (ii) Experimental papers report lab experiments, where the behavior of people is studied under controlled conditions. This may cause expressive behavior, where people behave better than they would if unobserved. (iii) Classical empiric papers, where available data are subjected to regression analysis. This suits problems where decision makers want answers. However, it is tempting to run many regressions and pick the best. It may not replicate. The diversity of papers on the same problem means that it is analyzed from many sides, as it should be. But to only look at one paper may be misleading.

Keywords: Strict Vs Partial Replication; Theoretical Model Variants; Expressive Lab Experiments; Data Mining And Regressions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781803921297
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